DR. JAD JARROUSH: BRIDGING INNOVATION AND COEXISTENCE THROUGH GEO-TECHNOLOGY

Back in 2012, when the term 'drone' was still science fiction to most Israelis and aerial surveying was limited by technological constraints, Dr. Jad Jarroush had already seen the future. With remarkable technological foresight, he and his partners traveled to Shenzhen in China, where he persuaded Chinese developers to attach specialized cameras to their low-cost drone prototypes. The goal: more accurate and cost-effective land surveying than anything then available.

This not only laid the groundwork for professional drone use in Israel, it also positioned Dr. Jarroush as a pioneer in the field. He effectively created an entirely new market, unlocking new technological and business horizons. It was a dramatic leap forward for Israel's tradition-bound construction industry. The digital tools it introduced for surveying and mapping have since impacted across a range of sectors.
"It was a global innovation," he recalls. "Throughout my career, I've always pushed forward and learned on the go. I recognized a practical and business need for low-altitude mapping and surveying, and I searched for a way to implement it."

Some years later, Dr. Jarroush brought to the Israeli market handheld laser scanners for indoor building mapping — again creating a niche that became standard practice.

A Visionary Career with Groundbreaking Projects
Dr. Jarroush's journey is extraordinary even by Israeli entrepreneurial standards. He was born in Nazareth in 1977 to a family that valued education. His mother was a schoolteacher and his father a tax official who became Northern District Manager for Israel's Tax Authority. His father hoped he would become a physician, but Dr. Jarroush promised instead to earn a doctorate.

Drawn to civil engineering early on, he earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in mapping and civil engineering, and followed them with a PhD in geoinformation and mapping, all from the Technion. He was still in high school when he met Prof. Daoud Bshouty, then Dean of Undergraduate Studies at the Technion. Bshouty introduced him to the late Prof. Binyamin Schmutter, a leader in geodesy and geographic information systems (GIS).

"Prof. Schmutter envisioned a future in which balloons and drones would be used for measurements, long before these technologies became mainstream," recalls Dr. Jarroush. "He predicted balloon and drone surveys at a time when these were unheard of. He literally described what I'm doing today."

During his studies, Dr. Jarroush gained field experience as a certified surveyor and project engineer in major national infrastructure projects — among them, the Carmel Tunnels and the Trans-Israel Highway. This hands-on experience helped him specialize in dynamic cadastral systems, advanced technologies that accurately define land parcel boundaries, ownership rights and even account for tectonic shifts.
He also devoted considerable time to R&D, integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM) into civil engineering project management, and applying digital photogrammetry, to make engineering workflows smarter and more efficient. He was among the first in Israel to use simple digital cameras for surveying and project monitoring.

Laying the Groundwork for Geo-Tech Innovation
Dr. Jarroush's expertise eventually brought him to Ofek Aerial Photography (later acquired by Formula Systems), where he partnered with Udi Friedlander and David Peretz, now long-standing business associates.

"Ofek specialized in high-altitude aerial mapping and remote sensing using airplane-mounted cameras and GIS layers," he explains. "I served as a kind of CTO, introducing GIS and cadastral systems. This led to our entry into drone-based measurement, among the first in Israel to do this." While working at Ofek, Jarroush also undertook complex GIS projects for local authorities, significantly advancing municipal digitization and planning efficiency.

Don't Eat the Cake Alone! Founding Geo-Point
In 2009/2010, Dr. Jarroush decided to strike out on his own. He created Geo-Point, a geo-technology firm specializing in geodetic engineering, land surveying, cadastral services, real estate and spatial technologies. Aiming to lead Israel's geospatial sector, it uses innovative tools based on systemic thinking and computational problem solving to maintain excellence, quality and cost-efficiency.

Geo-Point, however, also embodies a deeper social vision. "I felt a responsibility to give back to the Arab society from which I come," says Dr. Jarroush. "I wanted to share my knowledge and help build tech-based businesses that promote coexistence between Arab and Jew, as well as economically empower Israel's Arab community. Daily personal interaction builds shared interests and fosters a juster, more equitable society. I've always believed in loving humanity, and this guides both my business and personal life."

Did you Fear Jumping into the Cold Waters of Entrepreneurship?
"Not really. Even while employed, I did consultancy and project management with good results. So I realized the risk was minimal. I simply had to concentrate everything under a single roof. What helped most was the willingness of Ofek's leadership to come in as partners in the new company. That greatly reduced my personal risk.
"I always seek to bring in partners and talent," he continues. "My motto is: Don't eat the cake alone! Udi Friedlander and David Peretz of Ofek understood how important it was for me to build a company where Jews, Muslims, Druze and Christians work together. That vision of a microcosm of Israeli society spoke to them, as well."

Scaling, Impact and Social Innovation
Geo-Point gained traction in the Arab sector after proving itself in the Jewish market. The company grew from seven employees to around 70. A government decision to integrate GIS into property tax calculations (Arnona) was another major boost. Dr. Jarroush also secured the collaboration of the country's surveying and mapping authority, the Survey of Israel. And Geo-Point evolved into a multi-million-shekel startup, ranking among the industry's leaders.

Today, it serves the majority of Israel's local authorities, government ministries and state-owned enterprises. It continues recruiting new talent and expanding into new areas — among them, urban development through its subsidiary Geo-Point & Mazor First Urban & Regional Planning, established with Udi Mazor and Maayan First and now recognized as a leader in its field.

True to his vision, Dr. Jarroush has kept Geo-Point innovating. It was Israel's first company to offer BIM services in civil engineering, expanding from vertical construction into the previously underserved area of infrastructure. "I saw that infrastructure projects could benefit from BIM, and it was fertile ground for startups," he says.

This insight led to founding PTC Models for Construction in 2011 with Dr. Uri Shaked. The company was the first in Israel to specialize in BIM for civil infrastructure. After strategic investment and partial acquisition by Masad Oz Group, the company now serves most of Israel's top construction and infrastructure firms with BIM-based project and schedule management.

Monitoring Construction Sites in Real Time
Not content with two successes, Dr. Jarroush embarked on a third venture, founding Datumate Construction Data Analytics. The company has developed a platform for infrastructure project management using cloud technology, drones and image processing.

"Our system automatically processes images via a photogrammetric engine approved by the Survey of Israel," explains Dr. Jarroush. "It converts images into high-precision, geodetic-grade 3D terrain models, sent directly to site managers' computers. They receive detailed data on material quantities, usage rates and daily construction progress to measure against original plans.

"In offering this novel BIM digital solution, tailored specifically for infrastructure projects, we were, once again, pioneers," he continues. "At a time when image processing was in its infancy and powerful computers capable of processing thousands of images weren't readily available, we came up with creative solutions. With dedicated photogrammetric cameras costing a prohibitive $400,000 to $1 million, we developed a proprietary algorithm that transforms any simple camera into a powerful photogrammetric tool."

This breakthrough made advanced BIM solutions more accessible and affordable for infrastructure projects, giving project managers real-time field data efficiently.

What Value Does Datumate Deliver to Clients?
"Datumate's solutions help construction, infrastructure, engineering management and supervision companies to monitor construction sites in real time," says Dr. Jarroush. "What once took days can now be done in few hours. The platform streamlines processes, improves forecasting and reduces by over 20 percent professional service costs for surveying, mapping, quantity calculations, supervision, quality control, execution engineering, scheduling and more. This dramatically improves project execution, timelines, budgets and quality control. We also provide detailed engineering reports at short intervals and full digital documentation of every project stage, generating significant savings in total project costs."

Disrupting a Traditionally Manual and Paper-Based Industry
"That's what we've done!" exclaims Dr. Jarroush. "We provide the automated, digital, collaborative and rapid progress tracking, that is critical for infrastructure and construction projects. The company is growing globally, with hundreds of clients worldwide — construction firms, developers, engineering and project management companies, surveyors and government agencies."

The infrastructure market, notes Dr. Jarroush, is vast and in digital transformation. Rapid growth in this sector depends heavily on government adoption of new technologies.
"In Israel, most government companies — among them, Netivei Israel, NTA (the Tel Aviv Light Rail), the Israel Land Authority (ILA) and the Ministry of Construction & Housing — have adopted our technology. Internationally, in the US market, we're partnering major players like Autodesk and Procore."

Combining Excellence with Advanced Technology
Dr. Jarroush gratefully acknowledges the support of the Al Bawader Fund, established by the Israel government, and Pitango Venture Capital for their commitment to investing in Arab entrepreneurs. Early backers of Datumate include Habib Hazzan, Jimmy Levy, Rami Kalish, Zeev Binman and Chemi Peres. It was Habib Hazzan, inspired by Jad Jarroush's bringing of BIM to infrastructure, who introduced him to the Fund and who remains his mentor.

You're now Considered a Serial Entrepreneur. How do you Manage to Juggle Many Ventures at Once? "My management philosophy centers on delegating authority to the best managers I can find," responds Dr. Jarroush. "They, in turn, recruit top-tier talent. "I maintain a hierarchical structure. At Geo-Point, for example, I'm the father figure, but the company is run by promising young managers in their 30s from diverse backgrounds, working in harmony.

"We employ Arabs, Jews, Druze and haredim. Everyone feels part of a family. Though I dedicate only 10 percent of my time to each company, I bring positive energy. I'm assertive in decision-making, but gentle in implementation. I prefer to persuade rather than confront. For me, love is the essence of life.

"None of these companies was launched on a whim. When business opportunities arose, I seized them. And I've always maintained modest growth. Geo-Point, for example, could have scaled up far faster, but I held back because I had a new 'baby' to nurture.

"I didn't realize, at first, that I was an entrepreneur. I learned by doing — understanding business plans, distinguishing between sales vs. marketing, international markets, time-to-market and more. I taught myself to be a CTO and COO. Sure, I learned from Ofek Aerial Photography, but mostly I learned by doing. My motto: even a marathon begins with a single step — so just start running, and build your plan as you go. Civil engineering is my passion, maybe even an obsession. I enjoy every moment."

What's Next? IPO or Acquisition?
"We've always combined excellence with cutting-edge technology," says Dr. Jarroush. "We identify underdeveloped industries and introduce disruptive innovations — not always first, but early enough to make a difference. We continuously seek our next 'blue ocean,' and we know how to transition from crowded markets to new, fertile ground.
"We'll keep innovating in civil engineering, mapping and geoinformation. Our team consistently delivers on deadline. We prioritize quality and time over cost. We often sacrifice short-term profits to maintain our reputation. We don't chase quick wins."

"So yes, Geo-Point is not a family business. It has strong partners and was built with the goal of being sold. That will happen."

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In collaboration with Geo-Point Group